Door switch assembly



D 0, 1955 N. 8. mean: ETAL DOOR SWITCH ASSEMBLY Filed March 19, 1953 Iliglllll .[27 VEIYLEFE l A4 5 #{yA/a United States Patent DOOR SWITCH ASSEMBLY Nathan B. Higbie and Cecil R. Camfield, Bronson, Micln, assignors to Kingston Products Corporation, Koltomo, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application March 19, 1953, Serial No. 343,230

12 Claims. (Cl. 200-61.76)

This invention relates generally to electrical switches and more particularly relates to a door operated grounding switch of the type mounted in a grounding member forming a part of an electrical circuit to be controlled in response to opening and closing movements of a door.

According to the general principles of the present invention, an improved body is provided to carry reciprocable door actuated switch means. The body member consists of an electrically conductive sheet form member bent to provide a plurality of parallel extending circumferentially spaced legs joined at one end by a transversely disposed generally cup-shaped wall. The legs comprise alternate springs legs and retainer legs, the spring legs being crimped or radially offset at a medial portion thereof to provide locking means for engaging the grounding member associated with the assembly. The retainer legs include outwardly extending flanges on the ends thereof which engage a bezel ring spanning the ends of the fingers and lying in spaced relationship to the cup-shaped end wall.

A reciprocable shaft extends through the bezel ring and through the end wall, the shaft including a knob extending outwardly of the bezel ring and adapted to be engaged by the door associated with the assembly. On the other end of the shaft is mounted a terminal connector, the terminal connector being outside of the electrically conductive body. A coil spring surrounds the shaft and is bottomed on the inside surface of the cupshaped end wall, the opposite end of the spring engaging the knob and operating to spring bias the terminal connector into circuit closing relationship with the electrically conductive body.

Upon closing the door, the knob will be engaged by an abutment surface confronting the surface of the bezel ring whereupon the shaft will be reciprocated through the bezel ring and the end wall of the body member to move the terminal connector away from the body member, thereby breaking an electrical circuit of which the terminal connector, the electrically conductive body member and the grounding member, preferably the door pillar, are component parts.

By virtue of the provisions of the present invention, the body member can be quickly and conveniently assembled in a recess provided by the door pillar. Moreover, the principal members of the switch assembly may be economically and conveniently fabricated from shaped sheet form parts.

A further feature which results from the use of the sheet form members resides in the feasibility of decoratively enhancin the appearance of the switch assembly by providing a high polish finish on the sheet form components.

it is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved door switch assembly which can be economically and conveniently fabricated from simplified sheet form parts.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a door switch assembly which can be mounted in a snap-in assembly with a grounding member.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheet of drawings and of which the preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example only.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view with parts shown in elevation illustrating a door switch assembly provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention mounted in an automotive door pillar and. actuated to a broken circuit position by a closed automotive door;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the door switch assembly with parts shown in elevation and with the components of the switch positioned in circuit closing relationship;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally on line llL-lll of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the improved electrically conductive body member provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

As shown on the drawings:

Although the principles of the present invention are of general utility, the preferred structural embodiment herein described by way of illustrative example finds a particularly useful application when utlized as a door switch assembly for an automotive vehicle adapted to control the electrical circuit of a convenience light illuminated in response to opening of the vehicle doors.

Accordingly, there is shown in Figure l a door pillar 10 having a rear surface 11 and a front abutment surface 12 confronted by an adjacent abutment surface 13 provided by a movable door 14. The door pillar it) is provided with a recess 16 extending therethrough and intersectin the rear surface 11 and the abutment surface 12.

in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a door switch assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 17, is mounted in the recess 16 and is provided for the purpose of controlling an electrical circuit of which the door pillar 10 forms a part, the door pillar 10 comprising a grounding member and the door switch assembly 17 including movable components which will open and close the circuit to an electrical device to be controlled, for example, a source of illumination (not shown).

The door switch assembly 17 comprises a body 18 consisting of a sheet form member made of electrically conductive material which is shaped to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs or fingers joined at one end by a cup-shaped generally transversely disposed end wall.

More specifically, the circumferentially spaced legs are generally parallel to one another and include alternate retainer legs 20 and spring legs 21.

As shown in Figure 4, each of the retainer legs 20 has a radially outwardly turned flange 22 on the end thereof, each of the flanges 22 lying in co-planar relationship with respect to one another. It may be noted that the outer diameter of the legs 20 is less than the diameter of the recess 16 in the door pillar 10, however, the outer diameter of the flanges 22 measured at the peripheral surface thereof will be slightly greater than the diameter of the recess 16 so that the flanges will overlie the abutment surface 12 of the door pillar 10.

Each of the spring legs 21 is offset radially outwardly and includes a tapered portion 23 which terminates in an apex 24, the end portions of each of the fingers 21 tapering radially inwardly as at 26 and terminating short of the plane developed by the flanges 22 on the retainer fingers 20.

Each of the apical portions 24 of the fingers 21 lies on a common plane and, accordingly, the apical portions 24 together form a snap-in ring which is of larger diameter than the diameter of the recess 16 and which is in spaced relation to the plane developed by the flanges 22 so as to provide a clamping jaw therebetween.

It will be evident that the body 18 can be conveniently placed in firm assembly with the door pillar merely by inserting the end wall portion through the recess 16 whereupon the tapered portions 23 of the fingers 21 will engage the edges of the recess 16 and the fingers 21 will be moved radially inwardly.

As soon as the apical portions 24 clear the door pillar It), the fingers 21 will move radially outwardly within the limits prescribed by the tapered portions 26 on the fingers 21 and the door pillar 10 will be clamped between the flanges 22 and the apical portions 24 with more-or-less of a snap-in action.

It will be evident that the fingers 21 will operate effectively to place the body 13 in assembly with a grounding member having a greater thickness than the exemplary door pillar 10 provided in the drawings since the radially outwardly extending portions provided by the apical portions 24 will engage the walls of the recess and the spring fingers 21 will exert a continuous biasing force against the walls of the recess tending to prevent removal of the body 18 from the grounding member.

It will be noted that the transversely extending wall joining the ends of the retainer fingers and the spring fingers 21 is generally cup-shaped, a flat end portion being indicated at 26 and including an aperture therethrough 27 and generally conically shaped wall portions being indicated at 27 which merge into the generally parallel extending fingers 20 and 21.

A bezel ring 28 spans the other end of the legs or fingers 20 and 21 and is firmly connected to the retainer legs 20 leaving the ends of the spring fingers 21 free for movement radially inwardly and outwardly.

The bezel ring 28 comprises a sheet form member which takes the shape of a disk having a reversely turned radially inwardly extending annular peripheral flange 29 clamping the respective flanges 22 on the'retainer fingers 20 so as to place the bezel ring 28 in firm assembly with the body 18.

The outside surface of the bezel ring 28 is particularly characterized by a dished portion indicated at 30 and providing an annular shoulder 31 which is spaced radially inwardly of the peripheral flange 29 and which is contoured to conform to the shape of the outwardly turned flanges 22 on the body 18.

At the radial innermost portions of the bezel ring 28, there is provided an annular offset flange 32 providing an opening 33 for slidably supporting a knob 34 made of an electrically insulating material.

The knob 34 is recessed as at 36 and receives in press fit assembly one end of a shaft 37, a counterbored recess 38 being provided in the knob 34 so that a shoulder 39 between the recess 36 and the recess 38 will bottom a coil spring 40 surrounding the shaft 37.

The shaft 37 extends through the aperture 27 in the flat portion 26 of the end wall in body 18 and the aperture 27 is sized so that the coil spring 40 will engage the peripheral edges of the aperture 27, thereby spring loading the shaft 37 in direction to urge the knob 34 outwardly of the opening 33 in projecting relationship relative to the bezel ring 28 and the plane of reference developed thereby which is generally parallel to the abutment surface 12 and the confronting abutment surface 13.

Connected to the other end of the shaft 37 outside of the body 18 is a block of insulating material indicated at 41 comprising by way of illustrative example a nylon molding. A terminal connector is placed in firm assembly with the insulating material 41 so as to have its position with respect to the body 18 controlled by the shaft 37. The terminal connector is indicated at 42 and comprises a female receptacle 43 adapted to receive a male plug and carried on an arm 44 extending transversely of a cup shaped portion 46 conforming in shape to the insulating material 41 and providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced arm portions projecting beyond a surface 47 provided by the insulating material 41 including diametrically opposed arms 43 adapted to engage the conically shaped wall portions 27 of the body 18 and further including diametrically opposed arms 49 which are peened over to firmly connect the terminal connector 42 with the insulating material 41 and the shaft 37.

Because of the spring bias of the coil spring 40, the terminal connector 42 will normally engage the body 18 in electrical contact therewith whenever the door 14 is opened so that the confronting surfaces 12 and 13 are relatively moved with respect to one another.

In the event the door 14 is closed, however, the confronting surfaces 12 and 13 are moved into proximate relationship with respect to one another whereupon the knob 34 will engage the surface 13 and the shaft 37 will be reciprocated through the bezel ring 23 and the flat portion 26 of the end wall provided in the body 18 so that the terminal connector 42 will be moved away from the body 18, the arms 48 moving out of electrical contact engagement with the conically shaped wall portions 27, thereby breaking the electrical circuit of which the body 13 and the grounding member or door pillar 10 are component parts.

Because the body 18 and the bezel ring 28 are made of sheet form members, both of these components are susceptible to a high polish finish and, accordingly, the decorative appearance of the door switch assembly 17 is considerably enhanced by the particular structural shapes assumed by these members. Moreover, the knob 34 can be advantageously provided with a rounded camming surface 50 so as to engage the surface 13 of the door 14 even though the door 14 is pivotally mounted.

Although we have described the particular embodiment of the present invention in great detail for the sake of clarity, it should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contributions to the art.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a grounding switch assembly comprising a grounding member forming part of an electrical circuit to be controlled and providing a wall having an abutment surface intersected by a recess extending through said wall, a body member inserted in said recess and comprising an electrically conductive sheet form member shaped to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs joined at one end by a cup-shaped transversely extending end wall, alternate ones of said legs having radially outwardly offset portions providing spring fingers together forming an annular snap-in ring of larger diameter than the diameter of said recess and resiliently cooperating with the edges of said recess in said wall to lock said body member to said wall, and actuatably movable switch means making and breaking electrical switch contact with said cupshaped transversely extending end wall.

2. In a grounding switch assembly comprising a grounding member forming part of an electrical circuit to be controlled and providing a wall having an abutment surface intersected by a recess extending through said wall, a body member inserted in said recess and comprising an electrically conductive sheet form member shaped to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs joined at one end by a cup-shaped transversely extending end wall, alternate ones of said legs having radially outwardly offset portions together forming an annular snap-in ring of larger diameter than the diameter of said recess and cooperating :with said recess in said wall to lock said body member tosaid-wall, alternateothers of said legs having radially outwardly extending flanges on the ends thereof, a bezel ring spanning said flange and connected thereto in spaced relation tosaid snap-in ring and overlying said abutment surface, thereby to clamp said wall between said bezel ring andsaid snap-in ring, and actuatably movable switch means extending through said bezel ring making and breaking electrical switch contact with said cup-shaped transversely extending end wall.

3. In a grounding switch assembly comprising a grounding member forming part of an electrical circuit to be controlled and providing a wall having an ab-utment surface intersected by a recess extending through said wall, a body member inserted in said recess and comprising an electrically conductive sheet form member shaped to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs joined at one end by a cup-shaped transversely extending end wall, alternate ones of said legs having radially outwardly offset portions together'forming an annular snap-in ring cooperating with said recess in said wall to lock said body member to said wall, a bezel ring spanning alternate others of said legs and connected thereto in spaced relation to said snap-in ring to clamp said wall therebetween upon insertion of said body member into said recess, a shaft slidably supported by and extending through said bezel ring and said end wall, a terminal connector on one end of said shaft making and breaking electrical contact with said end Wall, and an actuating button on the other end of said shaft outside of said bezel ring,

4. A switch comprising a body made of an electrically conductive material and consisting of a sheet form member shaped to provide a cup-shaped article having an end wall and a plurality of circumferentially spaced generally parallel extending retainer fingers offset from said end wall, each being radially outwardly offset at a medial portion thereof, an insulated switch means carried by said body and having a terminal connector movable toward and away from electrical contact engagement with said body at said end wall, said offset fingers providing peripheral abutment surfaces at said medial portions for resiliently engaging said fingers with a mating mounting means providing a bore recess of smaller diameter than the diameter of the circumferentially spaced fingers.

5. A switch comprising a cup-shaped body member made of electrically conductive material and having an end wall and split side wall portions providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced fingers, a bezel ring carried on said fingers and closing said cup-shaped body member opposite said end wall, a shaft extending through said end wall of said cup-shaped body member and through said bezel ring for sliding movement, continuous biasing means between said body member and said shaft biasing said shaft in the direction of said bezel ring, and a terminal connector on the end of said shaft outside of said body member biased into engagement with said body member at said end wall by said biasing means.

6. in combination, a pair of parts providing confronting relatively movable abutment surfaces, one of said parts comprising a grounding member for an electric circuit, a recess in said one part intersecting the corresponding abutment surface, and a switch in said recess comprising a terminal connector to be selectively grounded to said one part, a shaft connected to said terminal connector, a body member made of electrically conductive material received in said recess and slidably centering said shaft in said recess, and continuous biasing means between said body member and said shaft urging one end of said shaft out of said recess for selective engagement with the other abutment surface of the other part and normally urging said terminal connector into grounding contact with said body member when said confronting surfaces are separated.

7. In combination, a pair of parts providing confronting relatively movable abutment surfaces, one of said parts comprising a grounding member for an electric circuit, a recess in said one part intersecting the corresponding abutment surface, and a switch in said recess comprising a terminal connector to be selectively grounded to said one part, a shaft connected to said terminal connector, a body member made of electrically conductive material received in said recess and slidably centering said shaft in said recess, and continuous biasing means between said body member and said shaft urging one end of said shaft out of said recess for selective engagement with the other abutment surface of the other part and normally urging said terminal connector into grounding contact with said body member when said confronting surfaces are separated, said body member consisting of a sheet form member shaped to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced fingers joined at one end by a transversely disposed end wall and having a bezel ring joining the other end of some of said fingers, said shaft extending through said end wali and said bezel ring and being supported thereby for sliding movement, others of said fingers being outwardly offset to mechanically and electrically couple said body member to said one part.

8. In a door operated switch assembly, a pair of door parts together providing adjacent surfaces relatively movable toward and away from one another, a recess in one of said parts intersecting a corresponding one of said surfaces, 21 body member made of electrically conductive material and comprising a sheet form article shaped complementary to said recess and providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced generally parallel legs joined at one end by a generally transversely disposed end wall, some of said legs being radially outwardly offset to provide resilient spring retainers engaging said one part and moved radially inwardly upon engagement therewith for providing a clamping contact, and movable switch means carried by said body member and having actuating means intersecting the plane of said one surface for engagement with the surface of the other part to regulate movement of said switch means toward and away from engagement with said body member in response to movement of said door parts.

9. A door operated switch assembly comprising a pair of door parts together providing adjacent surfaces relatively movable toward and away from one another, a recess in one of said parts intersecting a corresponding one of said surfaces, a body member made of electrically conductive material and comprising a sheet form article shaped complementary to said recess and providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced generally parallel legs joined at one end by a generally transversely disposed end wall, said legs including alternate spring retainers and support members, each spring retainer having a radially outwardly extending portion engaging said one part and being moved radially inwardly thereby for providing a clamping contact, each support member hav ing a radially outwardly extending flange on the end thereof, a bezel ring connected to said flanges and spanning the ends of said legs in spaced relation to said end Wall, a shaft slidably carried by said end wall and said bezel ring, and a terminal connector on the end of the shaft outside said body member engaging said end wall.

10. The combination of claim 6 more particularly characterized by said body member consisting of an electrically conductive sheet form member bent to provide a plurality of parallel extending legs joined at one end by a transversely disposed wall and said legs comprising alternate spring legs having radially outwardly extending portions adapted to yield inwardly upon insertion and engagement in the grounding member.

11. A switch comprising a cup-shaped body member made of electrically conductive material and having an end wall and split side wall portions offset therefrom and providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced fingers, a bezel ring carried on said fingers and closing said cupshaped body member at the end opposite said end wall, a shaft extending through said end wall of said cupshaped body member and through said bezel ring for sliding movement, continuous biasing means between said body member and said shaft biasing said shaft in the direction of said bezel ring, and a terminal connector on the end of said shaft outside of said body member biased into electrical contact engagement with said end wall of said body member by said biasing means, said fingers including alternate ring fingers and retainer fingers, each ring finger having a radially outwardly turned flange on the end thereof engaging said bezel ring, each retainer finger having a radially outwardly upset portion to provide a spring-like radially movable retainer finger adapted to resiliently engage a mounting means providing a bore recess of smaller diameter than the circumferentially spaced retainer fingers.

12. In combination, a pair of parts providing confronting relatively movable abutment surfaces, one of said parts comprising a grounding member for an electric circuit, a recess in said one part intersecting the corresponding abutment surface, and a switch in said recess comprising a terminal connector to be selectively grounded to said one part, a shaft connected to said terminal connector, a body member made of electrically conductive material received in said recess and slidably centering said shaft in said recess, continuous biasing means between said body member and said shaft urging one end of said shaft out of said recess for selective engagement with the other abutment surface of the other part and normally urging said terminal connector into grounding contact with said body member when said confronting surfaces are separated, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced fingers on said body member joined at one end by a transversely extending end wall, alternate fingers having outturned flanges on the ends thereof, a sheet form bezel ring spanning said fingers and having an annular inturned peripheral flange engaging said fingers, said shaft slidably extending through said end wall and said bezel ring, the fingers between said alternate fingers providing abutment surfaces together providing a snap-means of larger diameter than the diameter of said recess in said one part for resiliently locking and engaging said one part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

